by stylites_admin -

Wang Nanyi

Beijing-based artist Wang Nanyi is the latest talent to contributing to Pawnstar’s Upcycled series. These necklaces, earrings, and other pieces are conceptually interesting, but also promise to be commercially viable.

Wang displays a keenness for materiality, shape, and texture with these designs in which she burns the edges of pieces of leftover wool fabric provided by leading Chinese fashion retailer JNBY. This series is called heixiang (黑香） or “Black Wave”.

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Ian Slade in Los Angeles

Ian Slade is now in Los Angeles after an illustrious career in Shanghai that included modeling and live-streaming for Pawnstar, among other memorable pursuits.

Above, he is wearing Stubbs and Wootton leopard print loafers acquired at Pawnstar.

 

You can see a city and a man celebrating the ’80s, perhaps on repeat in these photos.  Of course it’s easy to see why people might miss the ’80s. It was an exuberant if superficial time. Also, a lot of people who have spending power now were growing up then.

I suppose one’s ability to partake in various nostalgias has a good deal to do with age, although there’s also a sense in which people may relate to the aesthetic values of a certain period. A lot of people get stuck in a certain period too.

Nostalgia for the ’90s has already started. I find the ’80s more compelling than the ’90s and it seems so does Ian Slade.

Playboy branded polo shirts.

by stylites_admin -

Thierry Chow: Fashion and Fengshui

Thierry Chow, Fengshui and Fashion master from Hong Kong, was at Pawnstar yesterday. The author of a book called “love and Fate 愛情玄學指南”, she has been covered in quite a few media including South China Morning Post and The Hula,

From this SCMP article, here is some valuable advice:

“For those who are born in the Year of the Dog, Sheep, Ox, Dragon, Monkey or Rooster, it is good to buy a yellow or pink wallet for good fortune. As they will have an unstable year in general, these colours will help to minimise the bad energy.

For those who are [born in the] Year of the Rabbit, Horse or Tiger, they can buy a brown and/or pink wallet. They will have quite a good year overall.”

 

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Q&A: China’s Consumer Fashion Evolution

How would you describe the evolution of the Chinese consumer towards fashion retail since you first arrived here over a decade ago?

The seemingly constant miracle that is the Chinese economy entered a new phase over the last decade in which the rise of the middle class became the dominant narrative. The number of consumers has increased exponentially as well as their sophistication in terms of knowledge of brands and personal style. This consumer has also seen the quality and variety of choices available multiply in a very short period.

Ten years ago, the retail market, online and off, was divided between very low quality brands and knock-offs on the one hand, and aggressively priced luxury brands on the other. Fast fashion and brands from Zara to GAP and Uniqlo have now expanded from first to fourth-tier cities, and premium brands have entered the market. Meanwhile, a universe of local independent designers has exploded while the style options on Taobao and other online marketplaces have grown at an unprecedented pace. Most people – the young in particular – dress much better today than they did 10 years ago. They show not only an awareness of global trends but often also a greater sense of personal style.

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Pawnstar on Google Maps

Pawnstar is finally on google maps, so we can start to reduce a little of the confusion regarding the address.  Our official address is No. 6, Lane 64 Fenyang Road, but the challenge is that the actual door is on Fuxing Middle Road, though it is just three doors down from the Union Trading Company, the creation of Yao Lu and one of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

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Traffique Shanghai Event w/ Pawnstar

The Traffique Shanghai launch celebrates the re-emergence of China’s most cosmopolitan megalopolis as a major style influence on global fashion, often by way of its street style. There could be no better location for such a launch than the designer resale and vintage platform Pawnstar, with its seven story shop in the middle of the French Concession on Fuxing and Fenyang Roads.

Based in Spain, Traffique is a street style and ecommerce website, that allows customers to purchase that they see worn by the most edgy, stylish people of cities like London, Paris, Tokyo and now Shanghai. Photographer Jose Maria will be at the shop to catalogue the looks and do mini-interviews of his subjects.

Stylites was of course there at the start of street fashion photography in China – maybe it was the start in terms of blogs in this area – and is very pleased to see that the subject remains a very interesting one.

by stylites_admin -

Issey Miyake top

This Pawnstar customer had a cool Issey Miyake top. She works in some realm finance and is apparently studying literature with an eye to working in media. I commented that this didn’t seem like a terribly lucrative path.